Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-08-17
SENATOR SARGENT.

In the death of Hon. A A. Sargent the
State has lost one of its most dutiful sons
and best servants. The worth of Mr.. Sar-
gent was in his personal purity, indomi-
table energy and faithfulness to the trust
reposed and duty to be done 1t cannot
be said that he was a scholar, in high
sense; yet as a practical man and clear
thinker, who won his way by hard labor
and acquired the mental discipline that
characterized him, by hard study, self
imposed, and under circumstances that
would have discouraged the ordinary man,
he had few superiors, if any. From the
printers case to the bar OF the law, to the
Legislature, Congress, to the Senate, to the
court of Berlin, Mr.. Sargent won his way
by sheer force of character and deserving.
He was "born politician; politics pre-
sented for him a most enhancing study.
lie gave to the science of government in a
Republic the hardest and best study of his
life, and the fruit thereof was gathered by
California and by the nation. For Mr..
Sargent, while a partisan, was patriot
while loyal to the party that commanded
his convictions, he was possessed of the
statesmanlike qualities that make the use
ful Representative, the Senator who sheds
honor on the chief legislative body of a
nation, and the diplomatic tact and fear
lessness that are requisite in the chosen
representative of the nation at foreign
courts. Such was Aaron 4. Sareent's
faithtulneSs to conviction that he
was not unfrequently led to cling
to men, and even to measures, that
were an injury to his ambition.
So true was be to duty as our Minister to
Germany that he sacrificed his high sta
ton to principle and to policy which
he believed involved the honor. prestige
and rights of the American people in
the eyes of all Europe. The Govern
ment Endorsed his position by nomi-
mating to and confirming him for another
diplomatic post of equal rank, but he de-
clined it, came home and went to hard
work in his profession. But Mr.. Sargent
never lost sight of political activities. He
had ungratifed ambitions, and boldly ad
vanced and pertinaciously pushed them,
and in so doing forfeited nothing of the
esteem of his fellow-citizens. Mr.. Sargent
was man of strong loves and bitter hates
Breach of faith to him was almost an I'M
pardonable crime, while loyalty to those
loyal to him and the principles of his con-
viction was a religion with this strong
man. He made friendships quickly, and
with open arms; but if they proved weak
bonds, it was oftenest because MIR. Sargent
believed himself the injured party. He
was man of far-seeing qualities-re-
markably so-and they were only lessened
IN their prescience when antagonisms and
assaults led him to too great rapidity of
reply and yigor of repulse. California
owes him much, for he was one of the
strongest advocates of the policy of push
ing the construction of rail lines to the
Pacific coast, and did heroic service in
binding the Union together by the trans
continental railway. His sudden death
occasions the public shock his taking
away is sincerely regretted by all the peo-
pie. For though Mr.. Sargent was man
of blows, man of aggressive action, he
claimed and had the people of the State
as his friends in whose interests he Ia
bored long and faithfully, with an earnest
ness and zeal and devotion to the institu-
lions of the country that entitle his name
to be written on the tablets of the States
history as one of her chosen and best sons.